The furniture was mostly white, sleek and modern. The walls were decorated with abstract art in tasteful hues of earthen browns, muted blues, and shocking reds. Andrea wasn’t much of an art lover but she liked them enough to stop and study the details of a few.
Mikel glided into the kitchen. It wasn’t a literal movement but rather the impression of effortless movement he gave off, like he was skating on ice. A lot of the vampires had that quality. Andrea had met dozens of vampires in her time but Mikel was an exception. He gave off a darker aura of power, both physical and psychic, that she had never quite experienced before. His cruel good looks invited more scrutiny. He appeared to get more and more handsome the more she stared at him.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.
Such a cliché line but spoken by him it thrilled. The sound of his voice was heavy and smooth like a tiger’s pelt. Just the sound of it excited her blood like an injected narcotic. His voice rumbled its way into her blood and relaxed all the tension in her shoulders. She hated him for the influence it had on her.
“Do you have white wine?”
He opened a glossy white cabinet behind him and pulled out a bottle. Andrea walked along the tall windows staring down at the street below. She decided she would really hate living up this high. It gave her the creeps.
Mikel moved alongside her. His presence made her more aware of her body and a little heat rushed into her cheeks. He handed her a glass of wine. She was surprised to see he had one too and even more shocked when he took a sip.
She took the glass from him. “I didn’t think vampires drank white wine. In fact, I didn’t think they drank liquor at all.”
His blue gaze sliced into her like a razor blade. He could have commanded her to do anything and she wouldn’t have hesitated.
“Some do, some don’t.”
Andrea softened her tone. “I mean, I didn’t think they could.”
“I can.”
She sipped her wine hoping it would calm her nerves. “You have a nice place. I’ll bet there have been a lot of women up here.”
He tilted the glass back and drained half of it. “A fair amount, but probably not as many as you think.”
“Were they all here for their first referral?”
A small grin lifted the corner of his mouth. “Not all.”
Andrea nodded and tried to stop staring into his eyes. They were dangerous, mean eyes that reflected everything they saw. Looking away proved almost impossible. Finally she just gave up and took a few more big gulps of her wine. He refilled her glass almost immediately. “Tell me about your first time.”
Oh here we go.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was hard to remove the feelings of hurt that always came with the memories. “There’s nothing much to tell. He was a master vampire and one of my teachers. One day after class he asked me to stay behind and then…then he just did it…you know?”
“He hurt you.”
She angrily pushed away a stray tear. “Um…well, I liked him…I trusted him. I thought I was over it. I guess he hurt me worse than I realized.”
He stroked her hair and that made the lump in her throat worse. “I’m sorry he betrayed that trust.”
She shook her head trying to ward off the crying fit that was surely to come if they kept talking about this. “It’s over. I did my duty. I submitted. I did what was expected of me. I let him do as he wished so I guess I have no right to complain.”
Mikel took her drink and placed it on the table. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.
“I’m really sorry that happened to you, Andrea. It won’t be like that with me. I promise.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She let him hold her but his kindness didn’t touch the grief still pushing up from the depths of her heart. All she wanted was for him to have sex with her and get this over with. Then she could finally go to her new master and put all the memories of the camp behind her. She smoothed her hands up the muscled wall of his back and nuzzled him.
She heard a deep, menacing chuckle rumble from his chest. “What are you doing?”
Andrea stared into his eyes. He was just going through the motions of caring about her. All he wanted was to fuck her and get off. That’s all any of these mean-spirited vamps ever wanted. They wanted to use and be pleasured. To hell with what the human wanted. Maybe she could rush him along if she was submissive enough.
“Please kiss me,” she whispered.
He placed his hand against her cheek and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “In time. Did you report the teacher for what he did?”
“No. What would have been the point of that? I’m here to serve.”
“You are not here to serve everyone at their whim, Andrea. The Council has strict rules about things like this.”
“What difference does it make if my virginity was taken by him or you? I’m a tool, right? My purpose in life is to be used by the vampire lords and ladies over me. I am a bringer of pleasure. My only desire is to serve.”
Mikel let her go and backed away. He sat in a sleek faux leather chair and stared at her for a long time. She was sure he was going to turn her away and send her back to the camps. Vampires hated it when humans didn’t do what was expected of them. They especially hated it when you talked too much.
He’s going to refuse to have sex with me and I’ll be sent back in disgrace.
She’d seen what happened when people were sent back for annoying a master vamp. She’d be lucky if a stern beating was all she got. “I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “I shouldn’t have sputtered all that stuff. I’m just nervous about being with you.”
He interlaced his long fingers making a steeple out of them. “Tell me something, and I want the truth. If I wasn’t a vampire, just a man, and you met me in a bar, would you go home with me?”
Andrea thought. “You’re a very handsome man. Yeah, of course I would.”
“If we had been lovers for a few months, and I asked you to marry me, would you?”
Andrea blinked. This was a strange line of questioning. “I wouldn’t, no.”
His expression of mild amusement didn’t change. “Why not?”
“Because you’re the kind of man who would never be happy with one woman for very long. You’d take another woman before we’d been married a year.”
“Hmm…the truth. How refreshing. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have
―
”
“Don’t be silly. You did exactly what I asked you to do. You told the truth. It’s just been so long since I met someone who spoke their mind. I guess I’d forgotten how freeing it is. I hate pretense.”
“You’re not mad?”
He gripped the armrests and she caught a glimpse of long, well-manicured nails.
“I read your entire profile. Would you like to know what the school administration had to say about you?”
She lowered herself to the couch but didn’t sit back. “I can only imagine.”
“There are over forty-five pages on your intelligence and exceptional reasoning skills. There are also psychiatric notes on why you should be destroyed. It appears they think you’re a danger to society.”
Andrea wrung her hands. No wonder they assigned her to this vampire assassin. They wanted him to kill her when he was done. At least it would be a quick death. Her throat went painfully dry. “I don’t know what to say. Please don’t kill me.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “I have no intention of killing you. I’m just going to give you a piece of advice, be careful what you say and who you say it to. You have a lot of powerful enemies keeping tabs on you, Andrea. They’re just looking for an excuse to remove you as a perceived threat. Do you understand what I mean?”
A tight bundle of nerves suddenly grew painful in her stomach. “Yes, I understand.”
“Now let’s forget all about that and get on to more pleasant stuff.” His smile broadened exposing his long, evil canines. “Tell me Andrea, have you ever masturbated?”
Chapter 4
Andrea debated lying but the vampire would be able to see right through it. “I have masturbated before but it’s been a while.”
“Did you orgasm?”
“I’m not really sure. I think so.”
A laugh tumbled from his chest. It was rich and decadent like espresso.
“If you had climaxed, you’d know it. Take off everything but your panties and lay down on the couch.”
Something about his eager expression and his tone aroused her. Her body warmed up, like someone had placed a velvety blanket around her. She wanted to give herself to him in any way he wanted even though she knew it was his vampire power seducing her. If it wasn’t him, it would be some other vampire. Andrea did as he asked and lay down. Her body quivered with a building energy she’d never experienced before. “Like this?”
“Yes, just like that. Now touch yourself in ways that please you.”
“Should I start at my breasts, or—”
“You’re thinking too much. Just let go and enjoy yourself.”
Andrea forced herself to relax and closed her eyes. She let her hands caress the swollen mounds of her breasts. At first it felt strange and awkward but soon she was able to coax out some sweet pleasures. Her fingers pinched and twisted the nipples making them as hard as marbles. Tension built in her extremities and an aching tightness lingered in her sex.
“Is this how you played before, Andrea?” Mikel asked.
“Yes, this was all I did. It’s simple and nice.”
“
Nice
.” He grinned enjoying a private joke. “Be bolder. Put your hands in your panties and touch your pussy.”
Andrea eased her hand down her belly and stopped at the border of her panties. Her heart sped up. She explored her sex with slow, halting caresses. Waves of fierce delight threatened to overwhelm her. She stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Mikel asked.
His voice was much closer now. She opened her eyes and he was standing over her naked. His body was tall and very muscular but pale from his need for blood.
“I guess I’m a little embarrassed.”
He tilted his head slightly as if he didn’t understand. Then he said, “May I kiss it?”
Andrea was pulled into his blue gaze. There was no will of her own, only her devastating desire for him to possess her mind and body. “Yes…please.” She peeled her panties off and opened her legs in invitation.
Mikel knelt down and placed delicate kisses along the insides of her thighs. Each kiss was a key that unlocked the heavily fortified doors that Andrea hid behind. She could keep no secrets from him. He discovered them all as her body betrayed her with every inch his lips covered. A long tortured moan escaped her, then another and another.
“Open wider,” he whispered.
She did and felt the first contact of his tongue on her clit. Her body seized and twitched. The sensation was so intense, she had to pull away. But no sooner did she withdraw, than Mikel was pulling her back against his mouth. Andrea was overcome as his lips caressed and nipped and his tongue danced over her manic flesh. “Oh that feels good, Mikel, really, really good,” she groaned as he worked harder and faster.
His tongue thrust into her heated channel and Andrea’s legs shot up to allow him deeper access. In and out his long tongue plowed bringing her to the very edge of release. Then without warning, he stopped.
Andrea gulped down air trying to catch her breath. As her body withered with need, Mikel eased up over her. Between his heavy thighs was a thick erect cock marbled with veins. The vampire propped her leg up on the couch armrest so she could watch him penetrate her. The long, pale cock disappeared into her pussy and slid out again glistening with her moisture. He pumped it in several times picking up speed with every thrust.
His mouth covered hers stealing a fierce kiss from her lips. “Put your legs around me.”
The order had come out in an animal growl that brought gooseflesh up on her arms.
From that moment on it was like being in the center of a hurricane. Mikel didn’t just have sex, he ruled her body, coaxing divine pleasures from every part.